


Everybody Wants to Rule the World

by FrogsAndFandoms



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, BAMF Niki | Nihachu, Baker!Niki, Blood Mage!Technoblade, Canon-Typical Violence, Female Protagonist, King Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Mild Blood, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Niki | Nihachu-centric, No Romance, Witch!Niki, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28944834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrogsAndFandoms/pseuds/FrogsAndFandoms
Summary: Niki wants peace, peace to practice magic. And while she may have that here in L'manberg, she knows that she needs to use her position to help those still being persecuted in Esempe. Not everything always goes right, but she knows she has to try. After all, she is a woman with nothing left to lose.
Relationships: Cara | CaptainPuffy & Niki | Nihachu, Eret & Floris | Fundy & Niki | Nihachu & Ranboo, Eret & Niki | Nihachu, Niki | Nihachu & Ranboo, Niki | Nihachu & Technoblade, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, former Wilbur Soot/Sally the Salmon
Comments: 9
Kudos: 38





	1. The Last of the Real Ones

**Author's Note:**

> Back at it again with my Nihachu supremacy agenda  
> First, I would like to thank my wonderful beta who you can find under the name frog-tsu on tumblr (i'm also on tumblr under FrogsAndFandoms)  
> Second, some general trigger warnings  
> There will be a scene in this chapter with somewhat implied torture but there is nothing graphic. Also, one of the characters in this fic is a blood mage, so there will be descriptions of him having cuts and scars on his arms. If that makes you uncomfortable, I would not suggest reading this. There is also a scene where an animal dies, and there will be a decent amount of cursing. Somehow even with all of this, this fic is nowhere near my angstiest fic.  
> I know this is extremely long, but lastly I wanted to say the fic name is a song by Lorde and the chapter name is a song by Fall Out Boy  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Niki took a step outside her bakery, taking in a breath of fresh spring air before uncorking an invisibility potion and chugging the entire thing. It was time to begin the trek to Esempe. Ideally, Niki would’ve been able to wait until arrival at the L’manberg border to drink the potion, but Wilbur had already been strongly against her going back to Esempe. While it was slightly worrying that there were wanted posters for Niki, she was kind of honored. It was nice knowing that your enemy saw you as a threat. 

Niki began the long walk to the border, her familiar Fungi trailing behind her. It had been a while since she had made a smuggling run, and if Wilbur had his way, that’s how it would have stayed. She reached the border and chugged another invisibility potion, giving one to her fox too.

As she stepped through the gate, the invisibility spell peeled off of her like cling wrap. “Shit,” she said audibly and bolted away from the guards, Fungi right at her heels. She hadn’t intended on being chased the second she entered the kingdom. And since when had Esempe had anti-invisibility measures?

She decided against dwelling on it, because there were multiple angry guards running after her at a rapid pace, and it was probably better if she focused her energy on evading them. Niki ran into an alley with ivy clinging to one of the walls. When the guards found her, she shot the ivy forward, disarming and nearly dismembering them. Now that the guards were tied up, she jumped on top of a barrel and climbed on top of a roof, sprinting across.

There were still a few guards chasing her, so she created an illusionary copy of herself and Fungi, drinking an invisibility potion quickly and running in the opposite direction of the fake her. She ran until she was in a different alleyway halfway across the city, which she figured was a safe distance. She sighed in relief, but it was cut short by an arm wrapping around her chest and pressing a blade an inch from her throat. Niki turned her head to see what guard had suddenly learned her tactics. CaptainPuffy. Of course. “Hey, Puffy.”

“Hey, Niki.”

“I’m impressed, but I don’t suppose you could let me go? I sort of have some urgent business.”

Puffy grinned. “I know, you have an appointment with the Royal Advisor Dream. He wants to talk to you. I’m here as an escort.”

Niki sighed. “I don’t have a choice in this, do I?”

“Considering I could slit your vocal chords in seconds, I would say that’s a no.”

They walked silently through the city, Puffy navigating them to Eret’s castle. Niki stopped before the castle gate, turning to look at Puffy. “We were best friends when we were little. What happened?”

Puffy pushed Niki forward towards the entrance, not making eye contact. “We all have our loyalties. You should know that better than anyone, Niki.”

Puffy led Niki through the castle and down to the dungeon. She opened a cell and threw Niki in but kept Fungi, holding him by the collar. Niki smiled softly. “I guess some tea and a nice chat is out of the question?” Something struck the back of her head, and she fell unconscious.

Niki woke up with her arms chained behind her back and her feet chained to the ground. She tried to summon some plants to pick or break open the lock, but the effort nearly made her pass out. There was an emptiness in her pool of magic, an emptiness that was usually filled with… “Fungi.”

Dream looked up at her from his chair in the front of the cells. “Oh, you’re awake.”

Niki gritted her teeth. “Fungi. My familiar. What did you do with him?”

Dream smiled maliciously, putting his face right in front of the cell bars. “Oh, I think you know what we did. But since you seem to be in denial, I’ll tell you. We got rid of him to weaken you.”

Niki spit in his eye. “You sick bastards.”

Dream laughed. “Well, I was expecting some bullshit along those lines, but the spit was a nice touch.” Dream motioned to the guards, who Niki was now noticing had quite large muscles. “Well Ms. Nihachu, this might sound a bit cliché, but it is true. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. All we need is a little information on who is involved in your little anarchist magic group.”

Niki glared. “You didn’t ask Fungi if he wanted the easy way or the hard way.”

Dream grinned. “I’ll take that as choosing the hard way.”

One of the guards approached Niki’s cell, cracking her knuckles.

. . .

Niki had purple, black, and blue spots all over her arms and face, and yet she still refused to talk. Dream stood up from where he had been patiently observing and began rolling up the sleeves of his green robes. “You’re tougher than I thought you would be. Well, I guess it’s my turn now.”

A red shard nicked Dream’s face as it flew through the air and crashed into the floor. A vent lid clattered on the floor as a fancy boot shot out and kicked Dream directly in the middle of his mask, creating a small crack. Techno popped out of the vent, landed on the floor gracefully and punched Dream in the stomach, knocking him over. Techno shot thin lines of red from his arm and they wrapped around Dream and the guards. He grabbed a few droplets and suspended them, watching them crystallize. He used the little shard to pick the locks on Niki’s restraints and cell, then grabbed her hand and bolted.

Techno ran into the nearest room, locking the door behind them. He pulled out a map of the castle layout and pointed to an escape route that had been traced in red marker. “Okay, it’ll be a bit difficult but I think if we go this way, it will be the most efficient way out.” Techno proceeded to explain the entire escape route, but Niki was zoned out.

“Techno.”

“Hmm?”

“This is so unbelievably kind of you, but I have something I need to do before I leave this castle, and I cannot ask you to come with me.” Niki pointed to an unmarked room on the castle blueprint. “I need to go there.”

Techno’s jaw dropped as he stared at Niki in frustrated confusion. “What do you _mean_ you need to go over there? It’s on the other side of the castle! It’s hard enough to get to the exit as it is!”

“They killed Fungi.”

“Oh.” Techno’s expression softened. He clenched his fist. “That piece of human pond scum.”

Niki put her hand on Techno’s shoulder. “I can’t ask you to come with me. But I hope you will understand why I am going back for him. I need to bury him, to honor him.”

Techno unsheathed his sword, handing it to Niki. “We got this far, I’m not abandoning you now.”

Niki nodded, a whispered “thank you” escaping her lips as she held back tears.

Techno placed the blueprint on the table next to them, crossing out his previous escape plan and forming a new one that involved a little detour.

Niki knew the plan. They would knock out some guards and steal their outfits. The helmets would make them virtually unrecognizable. It was practically a flawless plan, except Niki could think of a billion ways it could go wrong and end up with both her and Techno back in the dungeon. Despite her generally cheery demeanor, she wasn’t exactly much of an optimist. That’s why she was walking next to Techno and looking around nervously every two seconds. She knew this probably made her look suspicious as hell, but she didn’t really care. 

Finally they reached the room, and Niki heaved a sigh, coughing as she inhaled the air suspense had driven from her lungs. She saw Fungi, and it sank in. She had known, but it hadn’t felt real. She fell loudly as her metal guard knee braces hit the tile floor. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she sobbed loudly. She expected Techno to tell her to quiet down, or that she was taking up too much time and risking the mission, but he was silent. He understood better than Niki thought he would. When Niki was done letting out the emotions shock and adrenaline had bottled up, she stood up and they carried Fungi out of the room in a coffin basket. They got some strange looks as they passed through the hallway but no one questioned it. 

They had managed to get outside the castle doors without a single problem. All that was left was to take a shortcut through the garden and leave as fast as they could. Without any warning, Techno grabbed Niki’s arm and pulled her behind a wall. Techno held a finger to his lips as he pointed to a figure that was sitting quietly on a bench in the flower garden. King Eret. “We have to move very quietly, but we look like regular guards so he might not notice us.” The two began to slowly walk past the king.

_Snap._

Niki stepped on a branch, and the King whirled around, unsheathing his sword in less than a second. When he saw the guard uniforms he relaxed, but he still had a frown on his face. “What is the meaning of this? I made it clear that I wanted privacy while I was over here.”

Niki cleared her throat, trying to make it deeper. “I apologize, Your Highness, we were just passing through.”

Eret’s eyes dropped to the basket. “Wait, is that… _GUAR—_ ”

Techno clapped a hand over Eret’s mouth, muffling him. Niki took off her helmet, making direct eye contact with Eret. Eret slowly lowered Techno’s hand. Techno may have had a helmet on, but Niki could feel him giving her a look of _I really hope you know what you’re doing._ Techno took off his helmet. Eret looked back and forth at the two of them and sighed.

“Just go. Hurry, they might have heard me.”

Niki gave Eret a small smile before she and Techno began to sprint as hard as they could for the exit, where Carl was waiting, along with…Ranboo? Techno gave a nod of acknowledgement to Ranboo. “Thanks for bringing Carl, but you should go before they find you.”

Ranboo shook his head. “The guards are already on their way, and so is Dream.” Niki and Techno exchanged a worried look. They hadn’t expected Dream to escape so soon. Ranboo locked eyes with Niki as he began to tear up. “I’m going to distract them while you escape. Niki, you have done so much to help me. It would be an honor to repay you.”

Carl began to gallop away. Niki shouted “ _No!_ ” as she realized the gravity of what Ranboo was saying. But it was too late, and the half enderman was already sprinting to the castle gate where the crown guard was congregating to begin the search.

. . .

When Carl finally stopped, the sky was filled with the same blues and purples as the bruises covering Niki’s arms. She dismounted. Techno walked over to the cave wall, and pressed a button. The wall slid up, revealing an entire base. Normally she would have been thrilled out of her mind, but right now she was just so tired. She located a couch, and passed out as soon as her head hit the cushions, her dreams filled with foxes, both new and old.

She woke up at what she estimated was about 1:30 in the morning, due to the moon’s position in the sky and the creepers swarming around the area. She stood up, stretching and yawning loudly. She wrapped the blanket that she didn’t remember falling asleep with around her shoulders, and walked outside the cave to where Technoblade was staring up at the stars. Niki sat down next to him. “I was a bit surprised to see you. You’re the crown prince of Slepeboise, so wouldn’t this initiate a war or something?”

Techno shrugged, still staring up at the stars. “I’m not officially a citizen of Slepeboise anymore for legal reasons, but Phil hasn’t disowned me or anything. I just didn't want to rule. Even if I was still in line for the throne, I don’t think Phil would care too much about me starting a war now and then. He’s more chaotic than he lets on.”

Niki nodded. “So what’s next?”

Techno grinned. “We’re going to take down a government, or at least the mastermind controlling it. You up for that?”

Niki stood up, walking a few steps and staring up at the speckled night sky. “Well, you know what they say about a girl who has nothing left to lose.”


	2. Ready As I'll Ever Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, frog-tsu on tumblr!  
> Also if you want to find me on tumblr, my username is the same!  
> The chapter title is a song from the rapunzel tv show, i forget the exact name  
> Just wanted to clarify really quick that none of this is intended as shipping, and please respect the content creators!  
> Anyway, have a great day and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

A week had passed since Niki had become Techno’s roommate, and it had been pretty nice. There hadn’t been any issues when it came to cleaning, and both of them woke up pretty late in the day. Except for today, when Techno could hear a bunch of metal objects clattering to the floor by the entrance. Techno grabbed his sword from where it was resting beside his bed as a precaution, and walked over to Niki, who was frantically packing a bag and sharpening weapons. Techno rubbed his eye. “What are you doing?”

“I just got a message from Ponk. Ranboo was caught and they’re going to execute him in a few hours,” she said, not even bothering to look up at Techno.

Techno sighed. “Niki…”

Niki stopped what she was doing and looked him in the eyes with a fierce stare. “I know it’s a trap. I’m not that stupid. But I am not leaving Ranboo there to die.”

Techno rubbed the back of his head. “Going would only make matters worse. I don't want him to die either, but Ranboo knew what he was doing when he distracted those guards. He sacrificed himself so you could escape, and as much as I want to go save him I know he wouldn’t want you guys to put your life on the line saving him.”

Niki grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder. “I don’t fucking care.” She pressed the button and waited as the cave door opened, then turned back to Techno. “It might be hopeless, but I have to do something. I have to try.” She mounted Carl, and he took off at breakneck speed before Techno could stop her. 

. . .

Techno had been right. In fairness, Niki had known the place would be swarming with guards, but she had hoped it wouldn’t be _this_ bad.

Ponk, Alyssa, Hbomb, Punz, and Purpled were already in position. There was no time to put together a decent plan, so they were going to have to wing it. The entire rescue mission was doomed to fail, but Niki and the other members of the Yellow Nerine didn’t care. They were too stubborn to give up, always had been. It was how they had survived this long. Then she heard a chime, the signal. She hopped onto the roof in front of her, getting closer to the town square. Ranboo was in a cage, being wheeled out by the Knights of Eret. 

Eret walked up to a podium in the center of the square. “This execution has been made public to serve as a reminder that traitors and those who assist the users of magic will be shown no mercy.” His words were cold like steel, but his voice was shaky. Niki guessed that Dream had probably written that speech. It was painfully obvious to every citizen in Esempe and the neighbouring kingdoms that Eret was not the one in charge, but no one dared to go up against Dream and his puppet king. That was, until the creation of L’manberg and the forming of the Yellow Nerine.

Then she saw Ranboo. He was shaking a bit, but he didn’t seem to be fighting it. He had known this would happen. Niki gritted her teeth. The cage was opened, and Ranboo was brought out in shackles. Dream grabbed his axe, Ranboo kneeling in front of him. “Let this be a lesson to those who think that they can challenge our…” He turned to Eret and smiled, eyes filled with malice. “...illustrious king’s rule.” 

_“Shit,”_ Niki muttered. Either Dream knew Eret had helped them, or he had his suspicions. Either way, this was a warning.

Dream raised his axe, the crowd holding their breath. But before he could strike, a fishing hook wrapped tightly around the axe, restraining his arm. Niki loaded her crossbow and took a shot. It had impeccable aim, but Dream deflected it. He pointed in her direction, calling for guards. So much for having a sniper. One of the guards removed his helmet, knocking out the other and grabbing the keys to the shackles. Dream raised an eyebrow at the impostor guard in amused surprise, and Ponk grinned back. Dream yanked his arm back and the fishing line snapped, freeing his axe. He twirled it in his hand and began walking towards Ponk as chaos erupted in the square. Ponk tossed the keys in the air, and a hooded figure flipped off a nearby rooftop, catching them and landing gracefully. The hood fell back, and Alyssa smiled, twirling the keys around on her fingers. “Hello, Dream.”

The other previously hidden Yellow Nerine members pulled back their hoods and walked forward, surrounding Dream. Dream grinned. “Is that it? I was hoping for a fight.” 

Niki ran towards the center of the town square as she watched Dream easily defend himself as all of her allies attacked at once. Alyssa unlocked Ranboo’s shackles, but his capture had weakened him too much to fight, so Punz was busy getting him to safety.

By the time Niki had finally reached the town square, it felt as though there wasn’t enough air in the world for her lungs. As she looked around at her friends, she realized they were doing worse than she was. Techno had been right. Again. Still, she raised her crossbow and faced Dream. She wasn’t going to die without a fight. As an arrow shot out of her crossbow, something red gleamed in the corner of her eye. A red string shot out, wrapping around Dream and stopping him from evading the piece of sharp metal that embedded in his arm. Technoblade strutted forward, stopping to look at his sleeve. “I just got this shirt, and thanks to you, now it has a blood stain.” 

Dream grinned, grabbing a dagger from his back pocket and slicing open the crimson threads. “How unfortunate.”

Techno turned to Niki. “Go. I can hold him off, but the rest of you are too injured to fight.”

“You might be able to hold him off, but not his entire _guard_!” Niki shouted above the chaos.

Techno’s face steeled. “I wouldn’t be doing this if there was any other way. So go, because this might be your only chance.” Dream jumped forward, and swords clashed as Techno struggled to maintain a parry. “ _GO!_ ” He screamed, grunting with the effort.

Niki wrapped Purpled’s arm around her shoulder as the anarchists stumbled toward the gate, knocking out a few soldiers and stealing their horses before taking off at breakneck speed.

. . .

It was dusk when they arrived. Techno’s base wasn’t too far away, but they had to take a few detours in order to lose any remaining soldiers trailing them. Niki spent a few hours at the base making food and tending to their wounds, because she was the least injured. But when most of the group was asleep and comfortable, she mounted a horse and began to gallop in the direction of L’manberg, holding her fox shaped necklace tightly to her chest.

The moon was high in the sky by the time her beautiful flag was in view, but the lights were on in the ex-drug van, and she could hear loud laughter echoing around. She dismounted and walked over, slamming the door open. As the door announced her presence, the room went quiet. Everyone immediately jumped up from their seats, and stared in confusion at the bandages covering her arms and legs. 

“Niki, where have you been?” Wilbur sighed. “You better not have gone on another damn smuggling missi—”

“There’s no time for this, I’ll fill you in later. Dream has Techno.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “And he killed Fungi.”

The room converged into chaos, filled with shouts of “What do you _mean_ he has Techno?” and “He killed Fungi?”

Wilbur massaged his temples, trying to ignore the mayhem. “ _QUIET,_ ” he shouted, gathering the room’s attention and returning the silence. He turned back to Niki. “We can’t risk another war with Dream. I know my brother, he’ll find a way. He always does.” He sighed. “I’m sorry about Fungi.” He patted the blue sheep next to him. “I can’t imagine losing Friend, but there’s nothing we can do without provoking another war.”

Niki shoved Wilbur. “Wake _up,_ Wilbur. Just because you’re all cozy here in your little safe haven doesn’t mean that it will stay that way forever. Are you really content sitting here while other people, other magic users, anyone who dares to defy him gets slaughtered? Your own brother is out there fighting, even when he warned me that going would be reckless. As far as I know, he could be _dead_ right now while you sit here on your high horse, preaching about how this country stands against tyranny.”

Tommy stepped forward, standing beside Niki. Everyone else other than Wilbur followed him. “Niki is right, we can’t give the green bastard what he wants. And Techno is our brother. He might be a bit of a self righteous dick, but he’s our brother.”

Wilbur’s eyes scanned across the room, and the following that Niki had gathered. He nodded, looking Niki in the eyes. “I hoped to avoid this, but I guess I was just preventing the inevitable. Lead the way, General Nihachu.”

Niki smiled. “Well, as a very wise leader I know once said, victory or death. If we get no revolution, then we want nothing.” Everyone cheered, filing out of the van with enthusiastic shouts, and Tommy rapid fire insulting Dream as loud as he could.


	3. Young and Menace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter title is brought to you by fall out boy, and the song name is the chapter title  
> A quick thank you to my wonderful beta frog-tsu, and I hope you enjoy the story!

Niki took a deep breath. She was nervous, anyone would be. She had been in battles before, but never as the leader. And never with stakes this high and odds of winning so low. Still, she slung her crossbow over her shoulder and walked confidently out the door. It had only been two days ago that she had done this same thing, but two days was enough time for everything to change. Instead of a white blouse and overalls, now she was wearing a full suit of diamond armor, the sword Technoblade had lent her sheathed at her side. She would win, she had to. For Techno. And…for Fungi. 

The others were meeting up by the van. It was time. But they could wait a little longer, she had something to do first. She took a little detour, stopping in a clearing in the forest. Sure, she could have chosen a spot that was easier and more accessible, but this place was special. She picked one of the yellow nerine flowers that surrounded Fungi’s gravestone, sitting down before giving it a tender kiss and placing it on top. “You were my best friend,” she whispered. “I won’t ever be the same, and I don’t just mean my magic.” She looked up at the gravestone. “I hope you’re in a happier place. I’m going to finish our mission, and make this place a happier place too.” Silent tears began to fall from her eyes. “For Mom and Dad, and for the coven. And for you. I will find a way.” 

“Niki! We’re all waiting for you!” yelled Tubbo, waving to her from the other side of the forest. 

Niki wiped her eyes, smiling as she turned around to face Tubbo. “I’ll be there in a second, I just had something I needed to do first!”

“Okay!” Tubbo yelled, running back to the group.

Niki took one last look at the resting place of her closest friend, walking towards uncertain waters once again.

. . .

Getting into the castle’s throne room hadn’t been difficult. The issue was holding off Dream with the Yellow Nerine while the others rescued Techno. Niki crawled across the rafter, aiming her crossbow for right next to Eret. Luckily, she wasn’t _too_ lousy of a shot, but there was still plenty that could go wrong. Shoot too close, and end up injuring Eret. Shoot too far, and Dream would suspect that she hadn’t been aiming for Eret. Still, she steadied her hands and took aim. The bolt fired, barely nicking Eret’s ear. 

It was a perfect shot. The Knights of Eret immediately jumped to attention, escorting their king to safety. That left Dream and about four guards. Niki and Hbomb jumped down from the rafters, landing gracefully on the cold stone floor. Purpled, Alyssa, and Punz ran in from the entrance, right on time. They closed the doors to the throne room, guarding the entrances. It was a risky move trapping themselves with Dream, but as far as Dream knew, they were the only ones here, and she wanted to keep it that way.

. . .

While Niki and the Yellow Nerine were busy distracting the Royal Advisor, Wilbur was leading the L’manberg soldiers through the catacombs underneath the castle. There was no light in the tunnels, but Wilbur and Fundy had managed to keep it decently lit with the small amount of fire magic they had. Wilbur pointed to a ladder on the side of the wall that led to some sort of vent. He held a finger to his lips, then whistled up through the vent. There were sounds of metal clashing against metal, and then all was quiet. The vent opened, and a guard’s head popped through. Tommy nearly took the man’s eye out due to reflex, but the guard’s face morphed back just in time. Tommy sighed in relief. “Quackity, you scared the shit out of me.”

Quackity grinned. “Gotta keep you on your toes, don’t I?” Tommy grabbed his hand, and he pulled Tommy up through the vent, everyone following suit.

Tommy looked around at the armored bodies scattered across the floor. He turned to Quackity. “Big Q, I gotta say I’m impressed.”

“Oh, take your time, don’t mind me,” came a tired monotone voice from down the corridor. Wilbur and Tommy turned to each other before running to find the source of the sound. 

Leaning on the back wall of a cell was none other than Technoblade himself. Wilbur sighed in relief, then grinned. “You owe me now, I saved your life.”

Techno gave him an incredulous look. “Arguably, it wasn’t you. Plus, I’ve saved you dozens of times.”

Wilbur scoffed. “Yeah? Like when?”

“I stopped that guy from completely scamming you a month ago.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, cause _that’s_ the same as saving your life.”

Tommy coughed loudly. “Lads, as much as I would love to continue this conversation about what Techno owes me, I believe there are some more pressing issues at hand.”

Techno and Wilbur grumbled, clearly unsatisfied and annoyed that Tommy was right, but Wilbur grabbed the keys from Tubbo and unlocked Techno’s cell.

Techno stood up and nearly fainted, but Tubbo and Quackity caught him. Techno tried to shrug them off. “I’m fine, I just lost a little blood,” he insisted, holding his hand to a wound on his arm. When Tubbo and Quackity didn’t release their hold on him, he groaned. “I’m fine, so let me go _now_.”

Tubbo grinned, lifting Techno’s arm around his shoulder. “As the future ruler of Slepeboise, I’m going to have to refuse that request.”

Techno rolled his eyes. “Phil has taught you too well.”

Wilbur and Tommy walked over, helping Tubbo and Quackity with the weight. They helped Techno get down the ladder back into the catacombs, carrying Techno through the dimly lit tunnels. Techno turned to Wilbur. “So who’s idea was this?” 

“Niki.” Wilbur grinned. “Or as I should probably say, General Niki.”

Techno groaned. “Of course she did. Where is she? There’s no way she would have stayed back while you guys rescued me.”

Wilbur nearly answered, but he hesitated. “Niki told us not to tell you.”

Techno’s jaw dropped. “She _what_? I’m not sure I even want to know, then, but I'm terrified.” He looked Wilbur dead in the eyes. “What is she doing?”

Wilbur sighed. “I’ll tell you, but you can’t freak out or try to go after her.” He gestured to Techno. “I mean it’s not like you really could right now anyway.”

Techno gritted his teeth. “No promises.”

“She’s 1v1-ing Dream.”

Techno’s eyes widened. He was speechless. “I must have heard that wrong. You mean to tell me that Niki, who has lost a decent amount of her power and been severely injured multiple times within the last three days, is attempting to fight one of the most powerful men on earth, in his home ground, without backup?”

Wilbur winced. “Yeah, when you say it like that it doesn’t sound great.”

Techno sighed. “I can’t do anything to stop her, can I?”

“Nope!” Tommy said cheerily.

Techno glared at Tommy before sighing and looking up at the ceiling. “I really hope she knows what she’s doing.”

. . .

She had been here before. Three near death experiences in three days. Niki couldn’t help but wonder if that was some kind of record. With Techno and Tommy around it probably wasn’t, they had way too many enemies, but she could always hope. Maybe then she could actually get some benefit out of this situation. Somehow, Dream never seemed to run out of stamina. Maybe it was the loss of Fungi, but Niki was already panting after about 20 minutes of striking and evading. There weren’t any plants in the surrounding area, Dream had probably made sure of that. And even if there was, it wasn’t like she could do much with it in her current condition. Her powers were practically useless right now. She wasn’t sure she would ever regain the strength she had only a few days ago. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. There was an angry green teletubby relentlessly attacking her, and she could barely lift her sword. 

She heard a whistle from outside the door. The others were safely out of the castle. Niki punched Dream in the stomach, making a mad dash for the door. She needed to get through as fast as possible, because Dream getting out of that room created a lot of very unpleasant possibilities. Most of them involved her being publicly executed. They had only risked this once when Hbomb got out of the room to help barricade the door. Now that Niki was alone, it was going to be a bit more difficult. With perfect timing, she grabbed Alyssa’s hand and she pulled Niki through the opening as the door shut behind her. Hbomb put his hand on the metal lock, and it sizzled as he touched it. After a few seconds the lock and handle had been severely damaged, and they hoped it would be enough to hold off Dream while they made their escape. The group ran as fast as they could towards the gate, everyone other than Niki using their powers to keep the guards at a safe distance. But when they reached the gate, the worst possibility proved true. Wilbur and the other members of L’manberg held their hands in the air, as the points of swords were pressed against the backs of their heads. 

_Clap. Clap. Clap._ Dream chuckled. “Once again, you never cease to amaze me. But i’m afraid this ends here.” Suddenly, they were surrounded. Niki sighed. Make that four near death experiences in three days. 

Niki raised her hands in surrender. But as she closed her eyes and winced, prepared for the worst, she heard a strange sound. Stomping, and horse hooves. And it was loud. Everyone turned as a horn sounded, and King Phil of Slepeboise marched in along with a third of his army. Phil smirked. “Hello, Dream. Or as I should probably say, King Dream.” 

Dream raised his eyebrow. “Well, this is a twist.”

Phil’s eyes narrowed as he stared fiercely at Dream. “No one imprisons my son and gets away with it. _No one. Consider this a declaration of war._ ”

Dream shrugged. “Alright then, take them. I can’t exactly do much to stop you.”

As Phil’s army escorted the tired warriors out of Esempe, Phil turned back to Dream and smiled. “It was nice to meet you. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the future.”

Dream’s expression remained stoic. “Indeed.”

. . .

The actual distance from L’manberg to Slepeboise wasn’t that large, but it felt bigger every time Niki made the trip.

When they finally reached the land of freedom, Phil stood on the steps of the White House and addressed the crowd. “I would like to meet with the leaders of L’manberg and discuss an alliance. Everyone else, you should get some rest and prepare. Today’s battle may have ended, but the real battle is only beginning.”

Wilbur pouted. “Phillll this is _my_ country.”

Phil rolled his eyes. “Fine then, you address them.”

Wilbur stepped up to Phil’s level, and then hesitated on deciding what to say. After a few minutes, he sighed. “What he said.”

Phil smirked and Wilbur pouted some more, grumbling as he walked inside the White House. Niki began to walk back towards her bakery, intent on getting some decent sleep for the first time in the past few days. Wilbur’s head popped out from the White House door. “Niki, where are you going?” he yelled. Niki turned around in confusion. Wilbur grinned. “Phil said the leaders of L’manberg, so come on, General, we don’t have all night.” Niki grinned, running back over. She was ready for this. She finally had a chance to prove herself, and she was going to make everyone proud or die trying. 


	4. Eyes That Break Boundaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Thank you to my beta, frog-tsu (on tumblr)  
> 2\. The chapter title is a lyric from Odd Eye by Dreamcatcher  
> 3\. I hope you enjoy, and if you do, please leave kudos, it means a lot :)

Niki got out of bed slowly, the air filled with nothing but the chirps of birds outside her window. She got dressed and headed to the kitchen, making some waffles before she went out to her greenhouse and chicken coop. It was refreshing to have a nice calm day to herself. Now she had time to drink some tea, curl up in a blanket, and process the last few days. Just as the thought crossed her mind, her door slammed open. “NIKI!” Tubbo yelled, startling Niki and nearly causing her to spill her tea all over the couch. Niki sighed, setting the mug down on a table and massaging her temples. So much for a peaceful day. 

“What is it Tubbo? If it’s Tommy, I don’t want to hear about it.”

“The secret armory was ransacked.”

Niki’s eyes widened as her whole body froze. “ _What?_ ”

Tubbo gestured for her to follow him, and he ran off in the direction of L’manberg. Niki really couldn’t catch a break these days.

. . .

Niki followed Tubbo through the tunnels to the armory, or more accurately, the weapon and potion stash. Everything was gone. The shelves that Wilbur had spent hours meticulously organizing were destroyed, and all of the potions that Niki and Tubbo had brewed and weapons she had enchanted were gone. To say this put them at a disadvantage was an understatement. It would take them months to regather those supplies, and that was time they didn’t have. Esempe could attack at any moment, and now that the weapons and armor were missing, they were practically defenseless other than the wall and a few magic users. Niki turned to Tubbo. “The others can focus on getting supplies, but you, me and Tommy are going to work on something else.”

Tubbo tilted his head. “What is it?”

A grim look set into Niki’s face. “Finding the traitor.”

“Oh,” Tubbo said. “I guess that does make sense, considering not many people knew how to access the stash.” He looked away. “It’s still weird to think that one of our friends would betray us, though.” He hugged his familiar, an unusually plump and large bee. “You wouldn’t betray me, right, buddy?” The bee buzzed, which Niki took as a yes. She began to walk out of the empty room. Tubbo ran after her. “Where are you going?”

“I have a meeting I need to go to.”

Tubbo began to wave, running off in the opposite direction. “I’m gonna go make some more potions and hide them where the culprit can’t find them, but have fun!”

Niki smiled and waved goodbye, but when she turned around she sighed, massaging her temples as the gravity of the situation sunk in. Very few people knew of the armory, so the traitor would have to be someone politically close to L’manberg. Niki’s first guess was Technoblade, because he was the only one who would put his ideals easily before L’manberg. But Techno wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of being captured and beaten up if he was working for Dream. Plus, he didn’t like Dream at all. Unless...had Dream made a deal with Techno while Techno was captured? Niki shook her head, trying to banish the endless current of thoughts from her head. Maybe there wasn’t a traitor, maybe someone had just found the stash. But if there was a traitor, did she really want to find them? Niki continued onward, putting that dilemma to the side. She had business to attend to.

. . .

Niki scoped out the area, hopping out of a tree when she was sure the coast was clear. She grunted as she hit the ground, her legs sore from the impact. Apparently her power loss had affected more than just her fighting. The meeting spot was a cave in the middle of the forest, and she pressed her back to the outside wall next to the entrance, intent on checking a few things before entering. She poked her head around the corner and saw a hooded figure emerge. The figure pulled back their hood and held up his arms in the air. “It’s okay, I’m alone. You can come out now.”

Niki entered the cave slowly, keeping her crossbow raised for good measure. Eret sighed. “Niki, if I wanted you dead, I had plenty of chances to kill you during the last couple of days. Please trust me just this once.”

Niki kept her crossbow raised. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that trust is as good a shield as a knife in the back. What do you want, spit it out before I demonstrate that whole trust thing.”

Eret sighed again, keeping his arms raised. “I suppose that’s fair.” He made eye contact with Niki, and suddenly he looked like the ruler he was supposed to be. “I would like to propose an alliance.”

Niki’s jaw dropped, and with it so did her crossbow. “You want to _what_?”

“I want to propose an alliance. Not with all of Esempe, because technically we’re at war with you guys, but an alliance with me and the Knights of Eret.” Niki was silent, still trying to process everything that had just been said. Eret clenched his fist. “I want you to help me get rid of Dream. I want you to restore my power.”

Niki massaged her temples, still trying to comprehend the situation. “Eret, you do realize you could take power back from him at any time, right? The citizens don’t like Dream that much and the soldiers have sworn loyalty to you.”

Eret sighed sharply. “I can’t take it back on my own, and I can’t tell you why.”

Niki raised an eyebrow. “Eret, if you want me to even consider an alliance with you, you are going to tell me why you can’t take it back on your own.”

Eret sighed even sharper. “I mean I physically cannot tell you anything about it. I was—” His mouth snapped shut, cutting him off as no sound came out. He smiled sadly. “You see?”

Niki sat down on a rock, face in her hands. “Goddamnit, Eret. God _fucking_ damnit. I already have enough on my hands trying to figure out which one of my best friends betrayed us, and now you waltz on over and say that you want an alliance with us? You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

Eret raised an eyebrow. “Traitor?”

Niki groaned, facepalming. “You weren’t supposed to know about that. Wow, I’m such an amazing fucking general aren’t I? A real natural at this.”

Eret began pacing around. “Wait, this is perfect!”

Niki gave him a confused and annoyed look, starting to lift up her crossbow for good measure. 

Eret turned back to Niki. “This is a chance for me to prove myself to you. Let me find the traitor, and you can verify it for yourself to check. Why would I rat out my own spy?”

Niki spent a few minutes, silently weighing the pros and cons. Eventually she stood up, sticking her hand out with a stoic face. “You have a deal.” They shook hands, and the two parted ways as though history had not just been made.

. . .

It was a long couple of days. Niki couldn’t keep her mind off the traitor. And if Eret betrayed them, she might as well have burned the flag herself. Somehow, everyone other than her, Wilbur, and Phil seemed to not care about the fact that someone they were friends with might cause their impending doom. Maybe Tommy had stolen the key to the drug van again. Niki sighed, startling Tubbo and nearly knocking over a vial of silver liquid. Niki grabbed the vial before it crashed to the ground. She rubbed the back of her neck. “Sorry Tubbo, I’m just tired.”

Tubbo shrugged. “I think we all are.”

Niki laughed. “I wouldn’t say _all_ of us.”

Tubbo turned away from Niki, looking out the window into the sunny afternoon sky. “Tommy is worried too, you know. He just has a very…Tommy way of coping.”

Niki leaned back, staring up at the greenhouse ceiling. “It makes sense, but somehow doesn’t help.”

Tubbo smiled. “Well if it helps, Tommy found some really old shady book with a recipe for a truth potion, and he’s planning to make it and use it on everyone!” Tubbo immediately grimaced and backed away when he saw Niki’s expression. “I guess it doesn’t help.”

Niki sighed again, leaning against the counter and holding her head in her hands. “Honestly, I don’t care anymore. You deal with him, or at least tell him not to slip any truth poison into my coffee.”

Tubbo nodded. “Gotcha.”

Niki stood up. “I’m going to go have lunch and do some thinking, I assume you can handle finishing this batch of potions?” Tubbo gave Niki a very enthusiastic thumbs up, so she walked back to her bakery. As she looked through her mailbox, she spotted something peculiar. A yellow nerine flower. And it was wrapped with the Esempe royal seal. Niki immediately dropped the flower, running through the forest. Eret had information. If Niki was lucky, or unlucky, depending on the results, Eret had found the traitor.

. . .

Niki finally arrived at the cave. She took less precautions this time, but she still took plenty of care in hiding her tracks. Eret was waiting inside the cave, a hooded cloak around his tailored shirt. Niki entered the cave, panting from exertion. She looked at Eret. “What did you want to tell me?”

Eret grinned. “Oh, I just wanted to say hi and ask if you were having a nice day!” Niki pulled out a knife from her pocket, pointing it at Eret. Eret couldn’t tell if she was joking. He sighed. “Of course that’s not what I’m here for.” His face sobered. “I found the traitor.”

“Who is it?” While it may have sounded like Niki didn’t care and she only needed this information to dispose of a spy, this was more important than Eret could know. What if it was someone that was like family to her? Would she end up not revealing them? She was a bad enough general already.

Eret took a deep breath, hesitating before he answered. “Ranboo.”

. . .

Tommy was beginning to think that maybe Wilbur making Niki the general was a mistake. It was 12:30 in the morning, and Niki still knocked loudly on his door, telling him to get dressed and follow her and Tubbo, not bothering to mention why. Tubbo looked as confused as he did, but Tommy didn’t want to deal with a pissed off Niki, especially not this late, so he dutifully went inside and got dressed, packing a few weapons. Knowing Niki, if she was dragging him off to god knows where in the middle of the night he was going to need weapons. Niki led the two boys down the prime path, stopping at a building just next to the border. She opened her backpack, pulling out snacks and a blanket.

Tommy groaned. “Did you wake us up at this ungodly hour for a _camping trip_? What are you, Phil? Tubbo, let’s g—” Suddenly Niki slapped her hand over Tommy’s mouth, shushing him and pointing to a mysterious figure traversing through the darkness. Tommy squinted. “What the—”

“Ranboo. Eret was right.” Niki whispered.

Tommy turned sharply towards Niki, eyebrows creased. “What about Ranboo? Maybe the lad is just out for a midnight stroll. And what do you _mean_ Eret was right?”

Niki sighed, turning away from her observant stance, and back towards Tommy. “There’s a traitor, there’s no other way the weapons could have gone missing. Eret came to me with an offer of alliance and offered to find the traitor as a show of trust. He said it was Ranboo, and I brought you two with me to help verify.”

Tommy sputtered. “Why would _Ranboo_ of all people be the traitor? He’s one of your anarchy people, isn’t he?”

Niki’s brow creased, and she turned back to where she was watching Ranboo. “We don’t know for sure that he’s the traitor, that’s why we need to follow him.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, and suddenly Tommy could hear the tired nature of her voice and the burden of leadership in her eyes. “Until then, though…we still don’t know what happened while Ranboo was in prison.”

Tommy scoffed. “So you just want us to assume that our friend betray—”

“ _I have known him longer than any of you._ You should know that I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.” Niki leaned against the wall behind her, curling up with her head against her knees. Then she looked up at the boys, and Tubbo thought that for a split second he could see the crystal blue of tears in their general’s eyes. “War has taught me that it is better to trust no one and be wrong than to be betrayed and have your heart shattered like glass.”

Tubbo and Tommy nodded silently, avoiding eye contact with Niki. Niki stood up, dusting off her pants. She walked forward quietly, not looking back at Tubbo and Tommy. “Let’s go.”

. . .

Tommy hated this. Not only did he have to crawl through the forest in the middle of the night, but he couldn’t complain about it, because _Niki_ said they needed to be as quiet as possible. He didn’t understand what all the precaution was for. Half the time when he was talking to Ranboo, the man heard none of it. If Tommy hadn’t known better, he would think Ranboo was ignoring him. _Snap._ A tree branch had mysteriously appeared under his foot, and as the branch broke Ranboo whirled around, releasing three daggers from his hands. The daggers were hurtling toward him with a furiosity Tommy never imagined Ranboo could possess. He closed his eyes, pointing his head towards the sky. If this was how he would die then so be it. He would die a manly death.

Fate clearly had other plans for him, though, because his angsty monologue was interrupted by metal clashing against metal. He opened his eyes, and saw Niki’s protective arm stretching out in front of his face. He turned to Niki, sighing dramatically. “While I must thank you for saving my life, I am afraid that I do not feel the same.”

Niki rolled her eyes, grabbing her crossbow from behind her back. “Oh, shut up Tommy, now isn’t the time.”

Tommy turned to Tubbo, planning to ask if he needed any weapons. But Tubbo wasn’t listening. He was staring at Ranboo with a mix of shock and sadness.

Niki sighed, turning to Tubbo. “Tubbo, I know this is hard; he was my friend too. But either way he betrayed us, and we have to take him back to L’manberg dead or alive.”

Tubbo shushed Niki and pointed at Ranboo. “This isn’t Ranboo. Well, not the Ranboo I know, anyway.”

Niki gave him a sympathetic look. “I know it seems like he’s a completely different person, it’s hard for m—”

“ _No._ ” Tubbo sighed. “I mean literally, look at his eyes.” Niki turned to stare at the half-enderman, and finally noticed what Tubbo was talking about. Instead of the charismatic but tired shine that usually occupied Ranboo’s pupils, there was void. It was as though the end was in his eyes. 

Ranboo began walking towards them, unsheathing his sword. Niki drew her crossbow, clenching her teeth and staring at Ranboo. “Tommy, Tubbo. Tie him up. I’ll handle the rest.”

Tommy’s jaw dropped. “I am _not_ going to let you hurt him, Niki.”

Niki sighed. “I’m not going to hurt him, just knock him out. We’ll figure out what to do when we get back.” Tommy nodded in somewhat disgruntled approval, and threw his arm up to catch the end of the rope that Tubbo tossed him.

The four sat in uncomfortable anticipation, waiting to see who would make the first move. Then Ranboo pounced, throwing daggers at Tommy and Tubbo and running forwards toward Niki. Niki jumped high into the air, flipping as she batted away one dagger with her wrist guard and deflected another with a kick. She drew a staff and the metal clashed against Ranboo’s sword. 

Tommy ran forward as Niki held off Ranboo, throwing the rope and yanking it back, almost along with Ranboo’s sword. Ranboo moved swiftly in a way that reminded Niki of Fungi, slicing the rope with a slashing motion. Tommy ducked out of the way and jumped back, trying to see if the remaining rope he had could be of any use. The rope had been entirely severed, and frayed in several spots. Tubbo looked at the sad excuse for a rope that Tommy was holding, then turned back to Niki. “Hey, Niki, I don’t know about that backup you wanted.”

Niki grunted as she flipped backwards, a few strands of her hair getting sliced off as Ranboo’s blade grazed it. She swept her leg across the damp ground, knocking Ranboo off his feet. She stood up quickly, sliding to the opposite side before grabbing her staff and using it to apply medium pressure to the back of his head in a swift movement. 

Niki stood up, exhaling loudly. Tubbo and Tommy ran over to inspect her work. Tubbo bent down, holding his breath. “Is he dead?”

“No, just knocked out. We need to get him back to L’manberg, though, since I’m not sure how long he’ll stay that way.”

Tubbo stared at Ranboo’s closed eyes, pushing up one of his eyelids to reveal the red pupil they knew and loved. He looked up at Niki and Tommy. “He’s back to normal.”

Niki sighed. “It’s something, but we still don’t know if he’s going to be that way when he wakes up.”

Tubbo stared silently at Niki for a second. “Niki, do you think an evil magic person cursed him?”

Tommy chuckled, slapping Tubbo on the back. “That’s so stupid, Tubbo.” He looked down at the lanky body that lied on the forest floor. He looked back and forth at Niki and Tubbo. “So who’s carrying him?”

. . .

It was a group effort to get the unconscious Ranboo back to L’manberg. Well, Niki said group effort, but _some_ weren’t contributing as much as they should have been. Niki had been able to summon some small plants to help carry Ranboo, but what used to be a trivial task was now making her nearly collapse from the effort. She looked up at Tubbo. He and his bee were doing their best to help, but this was a bit much for them. _Tommy_ on the other hand had decided that the graze on his hand that he had earned in the fight meant he was exempt from assisting them. Niki would have chewed him out, but she was too tired.

The L’manberg flag came into view as the soft pink of dawn began to fill the sky. The three of them lugged Ranboo into Tommy’s house and tied him to a chair, before passing out in various spots on the floor. 

. . .

Niki awoke to the sound of a chair scooting across the wooden floor. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up, the image of Ranboo scooting across the floor slowly coming into view. The floor creaked as she stood up, and Ranboo turned around slowly with a small guilty smile. “Hey, Niki.”

Niki sighed, dragging the chair back to its original position and waking up Tommy and Tubbo. Ranboo stared at the three of them with a bewildered expression. “Okay, I know I cheated during yahtzee the other day, but I feel like this is a bit extreme.”

Tommy jumped up. “I _knew_ you cheated, you son of a bitch!”

Niki glared at Tommy. “Tommy.”

Tommy pouted, sitting back down. “That isn’t why you’re here, though.”

Niki clasped her hands together, looking at Ranboo with tired eyes. “I don’t think you remember it, but we sort of just had a big battle.”

Ranboo’s face sobered instantly. “What do you…what do you mean we had a battle?”

“Your eyes were all weird and inky and mysterious and you nearly killed us.” Tubbo piped up. Now it was Tubbo’s turn to get glared at. “Sorry,” he muttered, sinking into his chair. 

“You remember how there was a traitor who took the weapons?”

Ranboo nodded. Then it hit him. “Wait, you aren’t saying…you aren’t saying that I’m the traitor, are you? There’s no way. It’s…it’s…I would never.” Ranboo began muttering to himself as a panicked look overtook his eyes.

Niki put her hand on Ranboo’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay, I didn’t think you would.” She leaned back in her chair. “The problem is, we watched you sneak out of L’manberg and then attack us.” Ranboo’s eyes grew wide. “Wait, I didn’t mean you, I meant like…the other you. The one with the weird eyes.”

Ranboo stared down at his feet as tears began to fall to the ground. “Why can’t I just be a normal human?” he whispered, his voice cracking. Tubbo hugged him, and Niki and Tommy followed suit. “The half-enderman blood…it affects my memory.” He sniffled. He looked back down. “I don’t know the other half.”

“Wait, we could use this!” Tommy exclaimed. “When Ranboo is in that state he was like way better at fighting and way more aggressive, we cou—”

“ _No,_ ” Ranboo interrupted, a mix of fear and anger in his eyes.

Tubbo shrugged. “I mean, he does sort of have a point.”

Niki glared at the two boys. “He is a person, we are _not_ going to use him as a living weapon.” Her voice dropped to a whisper and she clenched her fist. “We can’t be like Dream.” Niki gripped Ranboo’s shoulders, looking him in the eyes. “It’s okay, we will find a way to help you.”

Tubbo scratched his head silently, lost in thought. “Niki, I think I remember seeing something about a potion that can suppress the abilities of Endermen, or something like that.”

Niki thought to herself for a second. “Hmm, that could work as a temporary solution while I help him figure out his abilities and learn the basics.” She turned back to Ranboo. “If you’re okay with it, of course.”

Ranboo nodded, wiping his tears and smiling. “That sounds great.”


	5. Whatever It Takes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. thank you to my beta, frog-tsu on tumblr she is very pog  
> 2\. The chapter title is the name of a song by imagine dragons

“I now call to order the, uh…meeting of the leaders of the nations of Slepeboise and L’manberg to discuss tactics against the nation of Esempe.” Wilbur coughed and sat down primly, trying to act regal. 

Phil smirked. “You could have just said it was time for the fucking meeting, but the call to order part was a nice touch.” Niki tried to suppress a laugh, but it turned into a snort, and resulted with the entire room turning to look at her. “Sorry,” she squeaked bashfully. To her Wilbur had always seemed very mature. After all, he had his life together more than the rest of them. But next to Phil, he looked like Tommy, a pouty little kid.

Phil stood up, commanding the attention of the table without uttering a word. “I would now like to ask if there are any kingdoms or countries that L’manberg is friendly with.”

Tommy raised his hand, but he didn’t bother waiting to speak. “Phil, aren’t we allies with Hermit? We could ask them to help.”

Techno burst into laughter while some of Phil’s castle guards attempted to subtly giggle, and Phil gave him a scathing look while he tried to hide his embarrassment. “King Grian and I aren’t exactly on the…best of terms right now.”

Techno wheezed and hiccuped. “Grian challenged him to a friendly duel when Phil was visiting and Phil wiped the floor with him in front of his royal council.” He paused. “Twenty five times.” The entire room burst into laughter, Techno slamming his fist down on the table as his body shook. 

Phil cleared his throat loudly, eventually silencing the giddy leaders. “ _Anyway,_ ” he said, glaring daggers at Techno, “if L’manberg is friendly with any nations that could be of help to us, I ask that anyone here propose an alliance.”

Wilbur stood up, suddenly returning to the mature leader Niki almost always saw him as. “I do have a suggestion.” He looked at Phil, who nodded, a sign to continue. “I believe we should ally with the Badlands.” 

Tommy groaned. “Ugh, why them? Badboyhalo is so annoying. Besides, who names themselves Badboyhalo? It’s such a stupid name.”

Wilbur sighed. “Tommy, he’s powerful, I don’t care if he’s patronizing. And his name is a badge of honor given to him, so don’t disrespect it. We don’t have to like him, we just need to tolerate him.” Tommy grumbled, sliding down in his seat. Wilbur gave a pointed glance at Tommy before continuing. “The Badlands are small, but they are an extremely powerful syndicate. Allying with them would be of great advantage to us.”

Phil massaged his chin, contemplating. “The Badlands can be a bit sketchy, but if we establish a concrete agreement with them then that could definitely go well in our favor.” Phil looked around. “I cannot think of any other nations that might be of help, so if anyone has any please step forward. Otherwise, this meeting is adjourned.”

Niki cleared her throat, standing up while the others looked at her in slight confusion. “I have allied with someone who I think could be of great help to us.” The others waited in anticipation as Niki held her breath. “King Eret and his knights.” She exhaled, bracing for an onslaught of questions.

The room erupted into chaos and shared confusion. “ _Quiet,_ ” Phil said firmly, silencing the room. “Niki would not suggest this alliance without good reason, so we should listen to her.”

She gave an appreciative nod to Phil before turning back to the rest of the room. “Around a week ago, King Eret sent me a message asking to meet in private. He proposed an alliance.” Niki saw Wilbur raise his eyebrow, and she sighed before continuing. “I was wary, of course, but he has done multiple things to prove that he can be trusted.” 

Tommy scoffed. “Like what?”

Niki straightened up. “He allowed me and Techno to escape after I was captured.” Everyone turned to Techno, who nodded, authenticating Niki’s information. She took a deep breath. “And he helped me find the traitor who stole the weapons.”

Wilbur jumped up. “Why didn’t you inform me of this immediately?”

Tubbo and Tommy stood up. Tubbo cleared his throat. “Wilbur, it’s a bit more complicated than that.” He looked at Niki, encouraging her to explain.

Niki sighed. “The traitor is Ranboo.” The room erupted into chaos once again, but this time it was Tommy and Tubbo who silenced them. “Eret informed me that the traitor was Ranboo, and so I took Tommy and Tubbo with me to help verify this information. When we found Ranboo, he was in some form of trance state, and he didn’t remember any of it when he woke up.” 

Wilbur sighed. “Niki, I hate to say it, but you know why this is a bad idea.”

Niki glared at him. “Ranboo has saved my life multiple times, and I trust him whether you like it or not. Eret is a riskier bet, but he has strength and inside information. He may have done things in the past to get on L’manberg’s bad side, but that is all in the past now. Besides, Dream has nether portals, which you all know is bad for us.” The others shrugged away from eye contact, proving her point. 

Wilbur gave her a tired and somewhat patronizing look. “Niki, wars aren’t won with feelings and friendship.”

Niki sharpened her gaze. “What gives us the advantage is that we have something to fight for. I may forget it sometimes, but _you_ of all people should understand that, Wilbur. I guess you aren’t the same optimistic and level headed leader you once were.” Wilbur recoiled slightly, seeming deeply hurt by the slight. 

Phil sighed, standing up. “Arguing is getting us nowhere. We will reconvene at a different time once everyone has cleared their heads, and we can proceed more maturely.”

Everyone stood up quietly, tension in the air. Niki and Wilbur were the last to leave the Slepeboise war room. Wilbur grabbed Niki’s arm right as she was about to pass through the doorway, and she turned to him. “Niki, you know I care about Ranboo too, but somewhere you have to realize this is a bad idea. You’re the one who taught me to be careful with your trust. What happened?”

“Wilbur, we are fighting for our friends and our family.” She made eye contact with him, and her eyes were soft, but somehow they pierced something inside Wilbur. “Ranboo is like a brother to me, and the last few days have made me realize that if we can’t trust those we care about, we have already lost.” She walked away, not turning back, and Wilbur didn’t attempt to go after her.

. . .

Dinner was filled with an uncomfortable silence, as everyone passive aggressively speared the pieces of beef with their forks and shoved it into their mouths. A member of the royal guard came running into the dining room, and everyone glared at him, accidentally releasing the built up tension onto the poor man. He seemed to shrink back, before standing up straight and bowing. “I’m sorry to interrupt your meal, Your Highnesses, but this is an urgent matter.” 

Phil raised an eyebrow. “Well get on with it then, lieutenant, don’t just stand there.”

The lieutenant’s face turned stoic in an instant. “L’manberg has been attacked.”

Immediately, chairs were knocked over as everyone stood up, running to suit up and get back to L’manberg as soon as they could. Niki clenched her fist as she panted, running to grab her crossbow and armor from her room. 

Eventually, she grabbed her things and some guards escorted her outside to where everyone was waiting. As she glanced at their faces, it appeared to have finally sunk in. They were at war. This was different from before. This wasn’t children starting a nation with their friends and battling an indifferent puppeteer, they were fighting for their lives, and the lives of those they cared about. Out of all the things they were putting on the line, independence seemed like nothing.

The horses rushed back to L’manberg, but it was a long trip. When they finally reached their beloved country, it was dark, but the inky black of the night sky was not the only thing obscuring their view. The smell of char and ash filled the air as smoke took over their lungs, and Niki felt herself begin to cough from its bitter thickness. Phil dismounted his horse, grabbing a spear from the saddlebag. He stood on the grass, scrunching his face for a second, before huge dove wings began to sprout from his back. He flapped them, and the smoke cleared. Niki stared at him in awe. Wilbur had told her plenty of stories of his father’s wings, but somehow none could compare to seeing them in person under the starlit sky. Phil flew around, circling the perimeter of L’manberg before landing back in front of Wilbur. His face was grim. “The soldiers are gone, and I confirmed with Quackity that no one has died.” He sighed. “Still, it’s not a pretty si—”

Niki pushed past the winged king, picking up the pace as she ran to the border of her safe haven. Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo were no more than two steps behind her. The four stopped as they gazed up at their beloved land, their shelter from the harshness of the world. The place that had allowed them to have a childhood was in ruins. Niki walked towards the flagpole, and as she picked up the torn flag that she had spent days hand stitching, something caught her eye. Something had been painted on it. Two dots, and a malicious curving smile. Small droplets of water began to fall on the flag, as Niki screamed, ripping it into shreds. Tommy and Tubbo rushed to comfort her, but Wilbur held them back. Niki fell to her knees, her screams becoming sobs. 

Everyone dispersed to search the wreckage and give Niki some space, but Wilbur approached her slowly, sitting down on the ashy dirt floor next to her. Niki hiccuped as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. Eventually her breathing slowed, and the tears stopped, Wilbur sitting silently next to her the entire time. Wilbur stood up, offering his hand which Niki took as he pulled her up. A soldier ran towards them. “General, President, there’s something you should see.”

Niki and Wilbur followed the man through the maze of smoke and debris. He stopped and pointed toward a sort of broken rectangle stone structure. Wilbur walked toward it, resting his hand against the cool black surface. “Obsidian,” he whispered.

Niki let out a laugh, her eyes void of emotion, and a weak smile spreading across her face. “It’s never felt so horrible to be right.” She looked Wilbur in the eyes. “Dream has thousands of soldiers, and access to quick travel through the nether.” She walked towards the broken portal, laying her forehead against it. “We’re doomed,” she whispered. 

Wilbur was about to speak, but he was interrupted by a certain blond boy running toward them at a fast pace. Tommy stopped in front of them, panting for a few seconds before standing upright, Tubbo trailing behind him. Tommy clenched his fist. “We have to attack them.” 

Niki held her head in her hands, sighing loudly. “Did you miss the whole part about we're doomed? Tommy you know we can't attack now. We’re too weak, and that would be playing right into Dream’s hands.”

Tommy gritted his teeth. “Niki, I helped build this nation from the ground up. I don’t care if you aren’t going to help me, but I am going to get revenge on that green bastard for destroying my country.”

Niki stood up, fire in her eyes. “Tommy, don’t you fucking dare imply that I don’t care about this country.”

Tommy stepped closer, the two staring daggers at each other. “If you really cared about this country, you never would have gotten us into this war in the first place.” 

Niki threw a punch, striking Tommy on the jaw. The surrounding crowd immediately restrained the two, who did their best to resist. “ _This country means more to me than you could ever know, Tommy." _She screamed as tears began to fall from her eyes. “You made L’manberg to prove yourself, because you wanted your family and your kingdom to respect you.” Niki raised her chin, looking Tommy in the eyes. “I joined L’manberg because I wanted to feel safe as who I am, because I had never felt that before, and because I wanted others to feel the same thing!” As she screamed the last word, her arms dropped, and she stared at the ground, no longer trying to fight those holding her back.__

Tommy stopped resisting too, and he was released. He began to walk towards Niki, Phil motioning to the guards to let him. Niki still stared at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with Tommy. “You’re right.” Niki looked up at him in surprise. “I can’t understand what it was like for you. I don’t think I will ever be able to. But what I do understand is that this country means everything to us, and we will fight for it until our last breaths.” Tommy held out his hand, everyone watching in tense silence. Niki shook it, and she seemed back to the determined leader she always was. 

The wind picked up, and a winged figure descended from the clouds. Multiple other hooded figures approached from the ground behind them. The mysterious creature pulled down his hood. “Heard you might need some help,” Badboyhalo grinned as Skeppy, Ant, and Sam joined his side. 

Wilbur smiled lightly, chuckling as he walked over and shook Bbh’s hand. “Impeccable timing, as always.”

Skeppy smiled, resting his elbow on Bbh’s shoulder. “It takes a special kind of crazy to start a war against Esempe, and lucky for you guys, we happen to have an overflow of crazy.”

Tommy grinned, turning towards Niki and Wilbur. “Well then, what’s the plan?”

Wilbur picked up the pieces that remained of the flag, handing them to Tubbo, who mended them with a few seconds and a bit of magic. He handed the flag to Niki, who lovingly carried it over to the flagpole and raised it. “Let’s show Esempe some of that L’manberg crazy,” Wilbur yelled, thrusting his fist up with determination as everyone cheered, throwing their hats in the air and raising their swords. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gotta be honest I procrastinated a lot with this chapter because it's sort of filler, but I hope you guys still enjoyed it! And if you did enjoy it, please leave kudos, because it means a lot to me :)  
> Also to explain some things quickly about the way i'm using the nether in this story  
> The nether is something that most don't know exists, and those who do almost always aren't able to access it anyway, because nether portals are relics of the past and they are extremely rare due to the fact that they can be used for faster travel


	6. There's A Fire In My Veins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Title is from Revolution by The Score  
> 2\. Thank you to my beta frog-tsu for her...wonderful comments/t  
> 3\. If you enjoy, consider leaving kudos!

Niki had been here before. Multiple times, actually, all in the last few months. It never got any easier, yet the stakes always rose. She was about to lead an army into battle. She wasn’t like Dream; she couldn’t view them as just soldiers, to be thrown away and used as pawns for bloodshed and power. In the end they were people, and their lives meant something to someone. Despite how she acted, Niki hated fighting. She had never wanted to be a warrior, but sometimes life makes choices for you, and it will throw obstacle after obstacle until you walk the path that it has chosen. 

As Niki walked through Eret’s castle in her stolen cloak, she was reminded of just how much she hated deja vu. At least this time her childhood friend was leading them through the castle instead of holding a knife to Niki’s throat. Neither was really ideal, but Niki much preferred Puffy when she wasn’t threatening murder. Plus, Skeppy, Ant, and Sam were there to guard the door. Bbh had disappeared, claiming that he was getting some extra backup. It was suspicious, but Niki wasn’t too worried. She didn’t trust the Badlands, but she did trust their dislike of Dream. 

Then she passed a familiar room. She wondered if the tile floor was still stained with her blood and tears. She wondered if the guards had felt any remorse, any semblance of emotion. She stopped herself, taking her anger and using it to fuel the fires of revenge instead of letting it consume her fully. It had been a close call, because if she had stared at the room any longer it could have attracted attention. 

She couldn’t let herself get distracted. She had a mission and dwelling on the dead would only create more. The group approached Dream’s rooms. The door was locked, but Eret’s status as king gave him some power, even if he wasn’t in control. The door swung open, and Dream spun around, immediately taking a defensive stance. “Oh, it’s you. I told you to knock before entering.” Dream sighed, the false reassurance of just Eret’s presence relieving him. Niki was shaking slightly, and she wasn’t sure if it was from fear or anger. Techno didn’t seem bothered, but he was a little too interested in the six wither skulls resting in a glass case. Niki shot him a look of _we have a mission_ and Techno shot her back a look of _I can multitask._

Dream raised his hand to his sword, suddenly noticing the increasing number of soldiers that were filing into the room. “Eret, what is going on?” 

Tommy pulled down his hood, a grin spreading across his face. “Hey Dream, fancy seeing you here.” 

Dream tilted his head. “Let’s make this quick.” He turned to Eret, his lip curling. “You, on the other hand, I am going to have a very long talk with.”

Eret tossed his cape aside, unsheathing a sword. “Bold of you to assume that you’ll be capable of speaking when we’re done with you.” 

Dream gritted his teeth. “Well, you’ve all made your positions clear.” He ran towards the large window before flipping directly into the stained glass and shocking the entire room. 

Wilbur shrugged. “That was easier than I thought it would be.” He stuck his head out the window, and Techno managed to grab an arrow right before it embedded itself in Wilbur’s skull.

Techno sighed. “Wilbur, it is a wonder your country has survived this long without a coup.” 

Wilbur pouted. “Let’s just go down there and fight Dream.”

While the others made their way to the courtyard, cutting a path through hordes of soldiers, a hooded blonde snuck through the castle, searching for something unknown.

. . .

The armies of L’manberg and Slepeboise finally reached the courtyard, and the only ones looking remotely composed were Phil and Techno, their bloodstained faces as regal as ever. Tommy stepped forward, standing his ground as he faced the masked man. “Dream, you probably think I’m just a child. That this is all a joke.” Tommy took a deep breath, clenching his fist. “And at first that was true.” Dream crossed his arms, surprised but suspicious. “L’manberg was my way of proving myself, and what I could do. But it’s more than that. It’s safety and freedom.”

Dream smirked, turning his gaze to Niki. “Is that you or her talking?” 

Tommy snarled. “I speak for myself, but I think Niki agrees that I speak for her too when I say that you, sir, are a bitch.” 

Dream chuckled. “Still incapable of being mature for more than five minutes, I see.”

Tommy raised his sword, pointing it at Dream. “You have hurt my friends. You have hurt me. So now, I’m gonna hurt you.” Tommy screamed, charging as the rest of L’manberg followed suit, proud of the leader that Tommy had become. 

. . .

“ _Drop your weapons, or I will drive this sword right through her._ ” Dream yelled, the battle pausing as everyone turned to see Dream pressing the tip of his weapon to Niki’s throat. Ranboo set his weapon on the ground immediately. The rest of L’manberg dropped their axes and their shields, regret and fear in their eyes. Dream smiled, and though no one could see his eyes, it was clear they were filled with malice and spite. “I want to see your face, the brave and compassionate Niki Nihachu, a knife to her throat as her friends give up in order to save her pitiful little life.” 

Then an arrow pierced Dream’s back, and he fell to the ground. Niki walked through the castle doors, twirling her crossbow in her hand as everyone stared in confusion. Alyssa pulled back her hood, and the two girls high-fived. Alyssa grinned. “You owe me free food for a month.” 

Niki sighed. “Can we discuss that later?” She lifted her foot, her boot landing directly in the middle of Dream’s chest as he wheezed from the pressure. Niki bent down, grinning. “Nice try using yourself as a diversion, but there aren’t going to be any troops in L’manberg for quite a bit.” 

Dream’s eyes widened in realization, and he gritted his teeth. “I told those idiots not to let you anywhere near the portal.”

Niki shrugged. “In all fairness, I didn’t exactly give them a choice.” Her face steeled, and she rested the tip of her sword on his mask. “Let’s see if the face matches the monster within.”

Green threads shot out from Dream’s fingertips, and they seemed to embed themselves in Niki’s shoulder’s, head, and legs. Niki glared at Dream with more fury than she knew she possessed. “You fucking hypocrite,” she spat.

Suddenly, Niki unsheathed her sword. But it wasn’t her. Her arm moved on its own, and so did the rest of her body as she turned towards her friends. Dream sighed. “You know, Niki, I was actually considering giving you a quick and painless death, but that’s gone out the window.”

Niki winced, unable to turn her head to glare at Dream. “What are you _doing?_ ”

A grin spread across his face. “Your friends are going to die, and you will be the one to kill them.” A wave of panic spread across the crowd, and Ranboo took a step back when she made eye-contact with them.

“I’m flattered, but in no universe would I be capable of fighting them all off.”

Dream shrugged. “Either way you end up dead, so it’s a win win for me.” Dream sat up, eyes scanning for a suitable victim. “Hey Niki, why don’t you help me teach a valuable little lesson about what happens to traitors?”

Niki’s eyes widened. “ _No, no, NO!”_ she screamed, and tears streamed down her face as her feet began to move towards Ranboo. He shrank back in fear, not wanting to fight Niki but not wanting to die. The sword was raised, and Ranboo winced, prepared for the finishing blow. Right as her arms were about to drop, something loosened. Niki’s sword clattered to the ground, the sliced green strings trailing behind her as she stepped forward to hug Ranboo. He didn’t blame Niki, he knew that wasn’t her, but he still winced out of reflex when Niki went to wrap her arms around him. Niki withdrew, noticing his change in body language, and an awkward but understood silence passed between the two of them.

“How rude, not even going to thank me?” The crowd parted as a horned man in a suit began to walk forward, and Badboyhalo landed next to him, folding his wings back in. Dream tried to shoot the green string at the man, but he deflected them, and they wrapped around Dream instead.

Wilbur stepped in front of Niki and Ranboo. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

“I’m Schlatt.” He adjusted his necktie and grinned. “I’m a distributor of karma, but you humans would probably use the term demon.”

Wilbur tried to grab Tommy’s shoulder as he walked forward, but Tommy shrugged him off. “Give it a rest, Wilbur, the man just saved our lives.” Tommy turned back to the royal advisor currently bleeding out on the cobblestone ground. “Now we decide what to do with you.”

Niki stood up, regaining most of her composure. “Kill him.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Well yeah, obviously, but I meant who gets the honors.” Niki was silent, and it took a good minute of everyone staring at Tommy for it to click. “Wait, you want me to…?”

Niki shrugged. “I’ve had my fair share of revenge.”

Tommy turned to Wilbur. “Shouldn’t you kill him then? You’re the president.”

Wilbur smiled. “Tommy, L’manberg wouldn’t exist without you. And besides, I think today alone is plenty of proof that you can be trusted with responsibility.”

Tommy scanned the crowd, searching for any remaining objections. He picked up Dream’s sword, staring at his reflection in the netherite before positioning the point above Dream’s heart, or lack one for the matter. Tommy took a deep breath, hesitating slightly before plunging the sword into his chest. Tommy exhaled loudly, relief and realization filling his body. 

Then, a strange glow began to filter out of the body and into Tommy. His veins turned green as they began to pulse and glow. The color of his eyes started to change, one becoming purple and the other green. It was as though someone had injected the colors into his pupil like ink. 

Suddenly, his veins stopped pulsing. Tommy circled his wrists, looking for some kind of change, but there was nothing. “Well, that was stupid.” Tommy threw his shoulders up in an over-the-top shrug, but two discs materialized in his hands as he did. They rocketed out of his hands with the shrug, and the purple one nearly sliced Techno’s head off. Tommy doubled over laughing, but it was replaced with a gulp and muttered apologies when he saw blood begin to crystalize in Techno’s hand. 

Niki’s brow furrowed, deep in thought. “Dream didn’t have magical parents.” Everyone turned to her. “He must have gotten that power from someone else, probably by killing them. Which means now that Tommy killed Dream…” She made eye contact with Tommy. “The magic was passed to him.”

Tommy pumped his fist in the air, and Phil groaned loudly, muttering about how two magical children had been bad enough. Niki threw Phil a sympathetic glance. “Tommy, how about I teach you how to use your magic? I usually just focus on healing and things with Tubbo, but since your magic seems to be more battle oriented, I can teach you about that too.” 

“Hell yeah!” Tommy began to dance around, and Techno decided to stop him before he actually decapitated anyone. 

While Tommy celebrated, Wilbur walked over to Schlatt and held out his hand. Schlatt shook it. Wilbur sighed. “I apologize for being so cautious earlier, but I hope you can understand.”

Schlatt looked down at the small splotches of blood that were scattered across the ground. “It makes sense that you would be a bit on edge.”

Wilbur smiled. “If you don’t have somewhere else you need to be, would you like to stay in L’manberg for a bit? We would be honored to have you.”

Schlatt raised his eyebrow. “I suppose I deserve a bit of a break.” 

. . .

It took the entire evening to get back to L’manberg, and Tommy had already fallen asleep by the time they got back. Most immediately stumbled to their homes and passed out, but Niki had something she needed to do first. Fireflies lit the night sky as Niki walked through the forest, sitting down in front of a gravestone. 

“Hey, Fungi,” she whispered. “I did it. We’re free.” Tears dripped down her face. “I wish you could be with me here for this, but I know you’re watching me right now. I hope you’re proud of me. I hope everyone else is too. I don’t know how they are, so I’m going to have to count on you to keep an eye on them, okay?”

She felt magic course through her veins, and she winced as she strained her power. A shriveled flower began to regain its yellow color, and the nerine flower bloomed once again. “When one life ends, another begins.” Niki looked up at the stars, clutching her necklace close to her chest. “I hope you find peace, my friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gotta be honest when I was writing this chapter, I had a bit of writers block, like I had the plot but my brain was just not in a writing mood, but I wanted to get this chapter done, because it's basically the halfway mark in both the plot and the number of chapters. All things considered, I think it turned out decently well :)


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